The terrestrial mammals and birds of North East Greenland. 81 



groups Harefjeldet and Thermometerfjeldet which were likewise situ- 

 ated in the neighbourhood of the harbour. Six of the animals 

 brought home originate from these places. 



Moreover the species was to be found where suitable locality was 

 offered, as well along the shores as in the interior of the country. 

 Only on the smaller islands I never found the animal, even when 

 they were inhabited by great numbers of lemmings. 



On "Dronning Louises Land" — 40 kilometer up on the inland 

 ice — Lindhard saw on March 14**^ 1908 some traces of ermines. 

 The same locality was rich in lemmings. During the return journey 

 from the inland ice, Lindhard found four days later fresh traces of 

 an ermine which had crossed the inner part of Sælsøen, where at 

 the same time traces of some singly walking lemmings were seen. 

 Owing to the unfavourable conditions for the observation of ermines, 

 under which the chartographic sledge expeditions to the high north 

 took place, the informations gained about the presence of the species 

 here were extremely scarce. 



On the southern side of "Orleans Sundet" — lat. 77° 45' n. — 

 Koch found on March 24'^^ 1908, among some down-fallen rocks VI2 

 kilometer from the coast, fresh traces of an ermine. With exception 

 of this observation no sure evidence of the presence of the ermine 

 was perceived by the north-going sledge expeditions, these being 

 confined almost exclusively to the ice, with short stays here and 

 there in the adjacent coast country. Whether the travelling party 

 of Mylius-Erichsen has observed the species in the tract round 

 "Danmarks Fjord", is not known. In the diary left by Brønlund 

 it is not mentioned. 



As before indicated the Greenland ermine chiefly lives on lem- 

 mings, being able to pursue and kill the animals in their subterra- 

 nean passages. During the coldest winter time, especially while the 

 sun is under the horizon, both animals lead a hidden existence. 



Only in very rare cases a lemming will appear at this time on 

 the surface of the snow, and the ptarmigans and snow-buntings 

 which the ermine is fond of hunting when the weather is fine, have 

 left the country. 



In winter the lemming especially resorts to large, firml}^ depo- 

 sited masses of snow which are highly isolating from the cold, and 

 in such places the ermine digs an almost perpendicular passage, 

 through which it makes its way to the border between the snow 

 and the surface of the earth. Here the lemming is generally strol- 

 ling about, and here the ermine is able to follow its paths without 

 difficulty. Sometimes the same ermine will provide itself with two 

 or three holes for its descent, placed in different parts of the snow- 



XLV. 6 



